Each of you move about your orders in preparation for mission. It is almost a full planetary day-cycle before you finally the weak vox signal from the Bounty's salvation beacon. Through the vista panels of the Will, you begin to make out a massive glittering cloud scattered across the void. As you get closer, you can faintly discern the blasted shells of vessels, desiccated and corroded by centuries of unprotected exposure to hard vacuum and solar radiation. It looks like long ago a great engagement took place here that left behind the twisted remains of assault vessels, ordnance, and other detritus of war. Even as you watch, the cloud moves like a sluggish whirlpool of junk, fragments smashing into each other and breaking into showers of debris and dust. You can just make out the weak flicker of a plasma drive as it leaks a feeble glow out into space near the centre of the chaotic mass of broken vessels and blackened hulks. It would seem that somewhere deep within the center of this massive debris cloud lies what you seek.
"Auspex, can you be more precise as to the location of the derelict?"
"The House depends on our finding this ship. Do your best. That is all I ask."
"Lord-captain," the blind woman says as she approaches Silas. "I have managed to pick up bits of the Bounty's final astropathic message. The bits that I can glean involve something about a worm. I have seen an unblinking eye... and death. We should proceed with caution."
"Boarding parties are standing by should you need them lord captain Militant."
Regulorum slowly moves through The Adamant Will's enginarium. The heavy mechanical sounds of the vessel as it redirected power to the ship's various functions was comforting. The intonation of rites and litanies of his subordinate tech-priests appeasing the various machine-spirits allowed his mind clarity of thought. The smells of the sacred unguents and holy oils wafted through his filters and gave the magos a peace only possible when one is close to the Omnissiah's essence. And one could find no better place for that proximity than the enginarium.
Regulorum considers the salvage problem of The Emperor's Bounty. From a strictly mechanical concern, Regulorum knew exactly how to proceed. First, any hull breaches must be located and sealed. Life support and gravity control systems examined, and their operational status would need to be determined. If non-functional, and repair would take greater than 5 hours, their status would be ignored and repaired when convenient, as neither would be essential yet. Careful examination of the Geller Field's operational status would be priority and be repaired immediately if damaged before all other things at this point. A diagram of essential passages and routes between vital systems and ship locations would be determined, and the rest sealed until a full investigation of the vessel can be accomplished in safe anchorage. Examination of plasma and warp drives follows. If self propulsion possible, temporary bridge is established close to escape units or attached ferry for ease of escape in event of unexpected problem. Final stage, recommendation to Lord-Captain of removal of both The Adamant Will and The Emperor's Bounty from the area and relocation to pre-specified safe anchorage for full inspection and repair.
Regulorum tapped a finger on his respirator. The tinking sound familiar to his auditory sensors. All of the steps in this plan required no surprises, no xenos or chaotic tampering. No Tyranids or other infestation. Given the Bounty's last known destination and sudden disappearance/reappearance, the odds of none of these things were small if not minute. Silas was sure to be aware of this. And Regulorum had no illusions that if no one else, the First Officer was already calculating the odds of successful operations as well. Regulorum approved of First Officer Allesaunder. The man was so methodical he almost felt Mechanicum.
"(Pip)," Regulorum squawked. "(Provide probability report assuming xenos interference of salvage operations. Establish preliminary parameters for absolute minimum repair of Bounty for warp translation based on basic Lathe-class design, vessel specific modifications to be added...keep those as variables and assemble a report based on possible Imperial tech.)"
The servitor responds with an As you command, Reg and begins the computations. The soft chirping and whirring sounds of its servos drowned in the chanting and clanking of the enginarium.
Regulorum tapped up the basic salvage plan he had determined onto a dataslate not including the emergency plan which was now awaiting Pip's final calculations. Passing the slate to a mecho-servitor, Regulorum commanded it to take it to Silas and Alessaunder. Regulorum prayed to the Omnissiah then, asking for His blessing and the fortune to find archeotech which to examine in His name.
Working late into what would normally be his sleeping shift Vorgen scans and re-scans. Harring his staff and anyone who gets close enough to check and recheck and check again every scan and blip picked up by the Will.
Finally, many hours later Vorgen finds a gamma source that could be, just could be a Lathe class powerplant.
Word is given to the helm and the Adamant Will ponderously takes a new heading, her augers probing ahead into the void.
"First Officer, please display on the holoscreen the location of the prize, so we can better consider our options."
"Auspex, can you now make a deeper scan on the prize? We need to know if her systems are still active and viable."
"Lord-captain," the blind woman says as she approaches Silas. "I have managed to pick up bits of the Bounty's final astropathic message. The bits that I can glean involve something about a worm. I have seen an unblinking eye... and death. We should proceed with caution."
"I thank you for your tireless service to the house. Any idea what this worm is? Could it be a xenos parasite?"
The First Officer promptly does as he is ordered.
"It is difficult to say, Lord-captain," she states matter-of-factly. "Astrotelepathy is educated guesswork at the best of times. I only relate what my visions have ascertained."
"Thank you Choir-master for your candor. I will consider all you have said."
My Lord, we should take a shuttle to secure the vessel immediately. There is little else to be done here from the bridge. I would recommend we make landing as close to the Gellar Field as possible, in order for the Enginseer to bolster it before we further explore.
"Make it so, First Officer. Notify the Master at Arms to ready his volunteer squad."
The most obvious way to reach the Bounty is by using a small agile craft such as a guncutter (you happen to have such a craft on board for planetary landing and the like). Such a craft could avoid the worst of the debris and would be too small to trigger any hidden ordnance like mines or torpedoes. Your particular guncutter may be crewed by up to two pilots, up to two gunners, and an engineer. It has several weapon systems, crew quarters for six, and a cargo hold large enough to transport about 30 people (or the equivalent in cargo). There are six void-suits on board.
The First Officer sends word over the vox.
Enginseer, Navis, Master of Etherics, please make your way to the hangar area in preparation for boarding. Master-at-Arms, bring your four best men. The Lord-Captain and I shall be with you shortly.
"First officer, the vessel can carry more men, should we bring a reserve team that can join us should we be able to restore life support?"
While waiting for confirmation, Ludicus turns to the men assembled, at a snap of his fingers the sergeant hands him a data slate of names and scores that he studied.
"Troopers Lubba, Meric, Dunsten and Eddic will step forward!
You have all been chosen to accompany an expedition onto our prize. This is your chance to demonstrate your training and spirit to the Lord Captain Militant in person.
Make the most of it!"
Negative, Master At Arms.
"New auger analysis Lord-Captain."
"The good news is that there is no immediate sign of the xeno presence that our esteemed Choir master detected. There are also signs that the Gellar field on the Bounty is functioning, if only intermittantly."
"The bad news is that the Bounty is in the middle of a very dense debris cloud. Bringing the Will into docking range would cause significant damage to both craft. The wreck has suffered extensive damage from debris impact and any attempt to move the craft will be frought with risk."
"A small craft would be able to fly through the cloud and reach the Bounty however such a smal craft will severly limit the ammount of salvage that can be profitably recovered."
"First officer. It is my view that some extra crew for the cutter would be recommended."
"While the bording party is in the Bounty the Cutter crew can monitor our communications as well as serving as a relay point back to the Will should we need the larger craft's assistance. The armored hull as well as the malfunctioning Gellar field will likely limit the range of our communications but with a manned relay point this problem can be circumvented."
"It may also be nessessary to move the cutter after we have left the craft. Hulks like this can be unstable. A collapsing bulkhead could easily cut off our return path to the Cutter. A skeleton crew onboard could move the cutter to an access point we can reach or even use the cutters weapons to create one if needed."
The First Officer is clearly not enjoying having his orders questioned simultaneously over the vox and in person.
Additional manpower is not necessary he insists tightly. Every single function you just listed off can be performed by the ship's two pilots.
He steps closer to Vorgen, in order to speak words only he will hear.
The crew don't have the training or expertise to make bringing additional men worthwhile. At the first sign of trouble they'll likely break anyway; and the hit to our morale will be far worse with a score of men dead than just four.
The following is heard via the officer vox channel:
"Regulorum is en route to hangar."
Before leaving the bridge.
"Gunnery sargent if you would be so kind as to lay a couple of broadsides into the cloud? Just to clear a path close to the Bounty if you would. Oh and that is a mine. Please make sure it is not there when we launch.
Unless you think some of this drifting junk might be worth salvaging. You thoughts Mr. Bast?
"Ah, missed him. Well we might see something from the Cutter. Sweep us a road sargent, but try not to kill us."
When everyone has gathered in the hangar, Alessaunder will eye the heavier armours with a hint of regret in his eyes.
Mesh and body-glove armours only, gentlemen. Anything bulkier won't go under a void-suit. Pack any other armour in the cutter, in case we get the life support online.
At a small static emission from Pip, Regulorum pauses in his stride to the hangar.
"A salvo, hmmm?" Regulorum strokes the vox housing on his face. Then he shrugs. "I imagine there is the possibility we might be able to find additional salvageable items in the cloud. The ships destroyed here are fairly well documented...Pip, run the archeotech protocol. Unless there is a probability of locating tech of note, I will not interfere in the artillery crews 'practice'."
"You heard the first officer, pack your armour well, if you forget it, we are NOT going back for it.
Check your spare clips. Remember, if you guard your weapon with your life, it will guard you in return.
You got 5 minutes to check your kit, after that, board the craft.
And remember, the lord Captain militant himself is coming with us, do not shame your training."
As the final preparations commence, Ludicus draws his twin bolt pistols, scans the runes to make sure they are fully loaded, and then make sure he carries enough spare ammunition.
Silas listens to the chatter. He finds nothing objectionable to the plans being executed by his team.
And though he will probably have no one to duel with on that derelict, Silas decides to bring along his lucky duellist's pistol. Just in case.
"Auspex, any chance that there is some acceptable life support on that derelict?"
"Try your best to find out. We need to know. For all our sakes."
On the bridge:
With a last sweep of the augers done Vorgen heads to his quarters and then to the Cutter.
On the cutter: Vorgen arrives wearing his void suit and carrying a worn kit bag. Heading for the co-pilots station he removes a rather beatup bolt pistol and what appears to be a brand new powersword. Stowing each near to hand Vorgen seals the bag in the Co-pilost locker and begins running the pre take off checks. Those in the cutter notice the slight change as the cutters gravity plates take over from the larger gravity generators in the hanger.
Initial flight plan will be to launch from the lee side of the Will and loop around. This will allow is to make an external inspection for any damage and, more importantly allow the gunners time to finish clearing us a road in.
Master of Etherics Vorgen AlphBenefit: +10 bonus to the Focused Augury Extended Action
Detection: +10 (+20 total in endeavour, +0 total when not in endeavour)
Scrutiny, 34
On the bridge and via Vox to command staff: "Final scans are showing recent oxygen outgassing. I am also showing power signatures within tolerances for a functioning life sustainer unit for this ship class. This leads me to expect that large portions of the Bounty are under normal atmosphere.
"That said it is my professional recommendation that void-suit dicipline be maintained. The Bounty has many hull breaches any changes in vibration or power use could result in decompression. In addition this any functioning life sustainer has been working without care for two decades. The air will be foul, possably foul enough to present immediate health concerns."
Regulorum will arrive with Pip his Servo Skull in tow...literally. The servitor familiar is tethered to Regulorum's void suit and sporting a half dome of clear plasteel which surrounds the skull. It connects to the machinery and tools which are exposed underneath.
Unless there is any grandstanding speeches or other events of utter pointlessness, Regulorum will enter the cutter and strap in.
"Auspex, can you offer any explanation as to why the Gellar field is still active?"
While Silas waits for Vorgen's answer, he considers the latter earlier report on the existence of livable atmosphere in a large area of the prize, which means that there is a small chance that the team will be heading in the small area where there is no livable atmosphere. His paranoia and active imagination sowing the seeds of doubt and fear. He remembers the choirmaster report about a 'worm'. Could the previous occupants have attempted to space out whatever it was that caused them into this predicament?
Silas considers it better to err on the side of caution and sends a private and encrypted message to the First Officer.
For Alessaunder
"Auspex, can you offer any explanation as to why the Gellar field is still active?"
Vorgen answers the Trader as he meshes communications with the Will.
"Well first off my name is Vorgen. Secondly there are about a thousand reasons why the field is semi active. Most likely is simple damage. You take something a complex as the Bounty and you ram about a thousand holes through it you are going to get stray connections, fried wires, insane tech spirits. Anything. Frankly I would be happier if this thing was just an airless hulk. It would mean the salvage job would be harder but it would also mean the ship is empty."
"Because another reason the field might be active is because someone turned it on. That means someone is in there. At best this means survivors for us to ferry back to Footfall, at worst this means a hulk full of xenos. At even worse it means demons and warp things. A warp incursion might even explaim why the field is on. Demons are rather unhappy on a ship with an active Geller field."
"Xenos are no problems for us, if we work together, this crew can defeat anything that might lurk inside the derelict."
Despite his vote of confidence, Ludicus makes sure to check that his weapons are all secured one extra time.
Overconfidence is not good, but xofidence is better than fear.
"Auspex, can you offer any explanation as to why the Gellar field is still active?"
Vorgen answers the Trader as he meshes communications with the Will.
"Well first off my name is Vorgen. Secondly there are about a thousand reasons why the field is semi active. Most likely is simple damage. You take something a complex as the Bounty and you ram about a thousand holes through it you are going to get stray connections, fried wires, insane tech spirits. Anything. Frankly I would be happier if this thing was just an airless hulk. It would mean the salvage job would be harder but it would also mean the ship is empty.""Because another reason the field might be active is because someone turned it on. That means someone is in there. At best this means survivors for us to ferry back to Footfall, at worst this means a hulk full of xenos. At even worse it means demons and warp things. A warp incursion might even explaim why the field is on. Demons are rather unhappy on a ship with an active Geller field."
Silas is wearing his void suit and his lucky duellist pistol is at his right side, while another more common, if a plasma pistol can be called common, pistol is on the opposite side.
His sheathed sword is firmly held in his left hand.
"Of course that is your name."
"By the way, did you check for life signs on that ship?"
"Everything green Wigeon?" getting the ok from his copilot Vorgen thumbs the internal vox.
"Hangar doors opening. If you don't have it now pray you won't need it."
The cutter floats free of her parent ship. A quick flash of the main drive a few puffs from the attitude jets and the gunship is crusing low over the Will. She takes an S-shaped course first up the side and then over the top of the larger ship. Finally cresting the great vessel just as the plasma broadside ceases. Another, longer burn of the main drive sends the cutter down the new opened alley and towards the wreck of the Bounty squatting in its dark cloud.
"By the way, did you check for life signs on that ship?"
"Yes, however between the damage, the cloud, the flickering Geller field, and the thick hull I was not able to get any conclusive readings either way. I can state that there is nothing like a full crew That would have shown clearly but there might be people on board."
As we approach the hulk: